


gravel to tempo

by Kaatiba



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 3: Fire, Episode: s03e05 The Beach, F/F, Jealousy, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Mild Slutshaming, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaatiba/pseuds/Kaatiba
Summary: the Ember Island house party, but make it Tyzula
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 56





	gravel to tempo

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually an excerpt/flashback from my ongoing canon divergent series "Cherry Wine" that focuses on Zutara and then Tyzula in the third installment "oh, she burns", so check that out it if you're interested in reading more!
> 
> But I thought I'd post this as a stand alone oneshot for any of my Tyzula hoes who aren't into multichap stuff or wading through all the hetero stuff that comes before it lol

“Oh, I'm glad you're here!”

Azula turned her head where she was observing the party guests at a distance, leaning against a post as Ty Lee bounded over towards her, eyes bright, “Those boys won't leave me alone. I guess they all just like me too much,” she chirped.

Azula glanced at all the boys _leering_ at Ty Lee ( _her_ Ty Lee) and scowled. 

But Ty Lee just stood there, pretending she couldn’t feel their crude stares on her....hips...and waist...and long shiny hair...and bright grey eyes….and...ample chest. 

Azula coughed, hiding her blush and couching her jealousy in cruelty, “Come on, Ty Lee. You can't be _this_ ignorant,” she complained.

Ty Lee frowned, “What are you talking about?”

She cocked her head to the side, looking oddly adorable, and Azula knew there was no way she didn’t realize the effect she had on people...on _boys_ when she did things like that. 

Azula glared at the drooling, pathetic excuses for men in the corner, “Those boys only like you because you make it so _easy_ for them. You're not a challenge. You're a _tease-_ ” Azula swallowed, having let too much of her own bitterness creep up and trying again for callousness, “It's not like they actually care who you are anyways.” 

Azula felt her stomach plummet as Ty Lee started crying, big fat tears leaking out of her pretty grey eyes. 

Worst of all, there was a flash of genuine hurt in them. 

Sure, Azula could be a bit... _blunt_ with Ty Lee, but usually she didn’t take it like this. 

As Ty Lee let out a crying hiccup, Azula saw a few party goers give them both a strange look and wide berth, and she glared at them, feeling an unfamiliar mix of shame and protectiveness surge through her. 

Azula tried to soften her voice as she placed a hand on Ty Lee’s shoulder, “Okay, okay, calm down. I didn't mean what I said.”

Ty Lee sniffled, and Azula searched for what to say to her to make her feel better. An…. _apology_? 

Azula hadn’t ever really given one of those before. Sure, mother had forced her to “apologize” to Zuko all the time for any little mishap, but she’d never meant it before. 

Bracing herself, she squeezed her friend’s shoulder gently, “Look, maybe I just said it because I was a little…” she turned her head left and right to make sure no one was listening in, “ _-jealous_ ,” she finished, whispering. 

Ty Lee raised her head at that, rubbing her eyes, “What? You're jealous of _me_? But you're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world!”

Azula's whole heart stuttered in her chest at those words, and she fought down the blush threatening to erupt across her cheeks. 

She tilted her head away to hide the evidence of her pleasure at Ty Lee’s words. 

“Well, you're right about _all_ those things,” self aggrandizing was always a safe place for her to go when feeling vulnerable, “But, for some reason, when I meet boys, they act as if I'm going to do something _horrible_ to them.”

She scrunched her nose. Boys were so stupid, and not in a cute way like Ty Lee sometimes acted. 

Take Zuko, for instance. He was a boy and he was stupid. 

All the sons of nobles she’d ever met had been stupid, and she’d been offended when Ursa had giggled with their mothers about the potential of them “getting to know each other” better. 

She was distracted by Ty Lee’s giggle. “But you probably _would_ do something horrible to them.” She smiled at Azula, still giggling, and Azula’s heart stuttered again. 

Mother had never appreciated the little pranks she’d played on those moronic nobles’ sons. She’d always pinched her by the ear and gave her a long and boring scolding. 

But Ty Lee understood. 

“I'm sure they're just intimidated by you,” she continued, but stopped as Azula scowled.

Ty Lee sighed, looking down at her feet, “Okay, _look_ , if you want a boy to like you, just look at him and smile a lot and laugh at everything he says even if it's not funny, which it probably won’t be.”

Azula frowned, _Is that what Ty Lee does? Did that make her happy?_

Azula herself looked around at all the boys at the party. She didn’t particularly like any of _them_ , but she did sort of want them to like _her_ for some reason. 

Azula pouted, “Well, that sounds really shallow and stupid.” 

But one day, Azula _would_ be expected to marry one of these shallow, blubbering morons, so she might as well get used to dealing with them. 

Maybe with Ty Lee, practicing could be fun. 

“Ok, Let's try it.”

“Okay,” Ty Lee said, perking up a bit more, before furrowing her brow and doing her best manly imitation in a faux deep voice, “ _Hey there, sweet sugar cakes. How you liking this party?_ ” 

She placed her hand on the post by Azula’s head. 

Azula was so caught off guard by Ty Lee’s terrible impersonation, she actually started laughing. 

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually laughed out loud, and once she stopped she couldn’t stop, and she ended up wheezing slightly, hand on her bared stomach. 

Once she let up, she met Ty Lee’s eyes. Her friend was looking at her with an odd expression on her face. 

“See? Just like that..” Ty Lee said, a bit breathless from laughing herself before her face became more serious. 

“You have a beautiful laugh, Azula. Any boy heard it would be happy to have you,” she said, still looking oddly solemn before she peeled away, re-entering her fray of suitors. 

Azula just watched her go, a strange, confusing mixture of emotions bubbling up in her chest. 

Frowning, she went to the refreshment table to grab a drink. Or two. 

* * *

Azula downed her third (or fourth?) glass of punch and scanned the crowd, looking for Ty Lee. She perked up, setting her empty cup down as she saw the familiar long brown braid swinging. 

She watched her slip away from her crowd of _fans_ and disappear onto the balcony, so Azula followed, shutting the door behind her. 

Ty Lee turned, but relaxed when she saw who it was.

“Oh, it’s just you.” She leaned back against the rail, back arched and legs crossed as she looked out across the dark waves. 

Azula looked at the soft curve of her slender neck, almost glowing in the moonlight, watched the way her long braid fell between her shoulder blades, falling all the way down to her exposed lower back, the little dip-

Before she could think about it, she let her hand fall into the little dip, palm splaying across the soft pale skin. 

Ty Lee shivered at her touch, turning to face Azula, brows furrowed in confusion, but she didn’t object, so Azula kept her hand where it was, softly tracing a circle against Ty Lee’s back. 

“What?-”

Azula cut her off, “When I said I was jealous earlier…” she took a deep breath, fear tearing at her throat, even with the edges of her mind softened by the alcohol and its uninhibiting effect, “I wasn’t jealous of _you…_ .I was jealous of _them_.”

Ty Lee’s eyes widened as she made a cute little surprised “Oh” face, pursing her lips, and before she could think it through, Azula leaned forward, head tilting to press her lips to Ty Lee’s. 

Azula had never kissed anyone before, but as Ty Lee softened, tilting her own head, it felt natural to wrap her arms around the other girl’s waist, pulling her closer. 

Eventually, they pulled apart slowly, and Azula could feel the gentle pant of Ty Lee’s breaths across her cheek. 

Ty Lee looked up at her, face conflicted, “ _Azula-_ ”

For a terrible, terrifying moment, Azula was _certain_ she was about to be rejected. That Ty Lee was about to let her down _easy_ , tell her she didn’t feel _that_ way-

So Azula beat her to it. 

She pulled back quickly, hardening her features. 

“That meant _nothing_.”

Without waiting for the other girl’s response, she spun on her heel and stalked back into the party.


End file.
